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Sojaveña Wilds Totally Normal Bulletin Board

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Once the coast was clear, Corey stopped his portion of the literal dust-up... and subsequently slouched to the ground in exhaustion, his head throbbing from the sheer amount of psychokinetic energy he'd generated... far more than what he'd grown accustomed to, and perhaps the limit to what his still relatively weak body could handle, even with the extensive training.

He'd be alright, of course, but he was going to have one raging headache for a bit. Still, it was the least he could do after his curiosity nearly blew the cover of a Mew of all 'mon... and one that seemed only to be doing its job distributing tasks from others and rewarding people for being of help to one another... He wouldn't have forgiven himself if that had led to ruining the entire thing for everyone.
 
“Nice save,” Jade told the other two, her heart still pounding. “But man… Mew…. I didn’t think—I couldn’t find any records of Mew in the library. I was starting think it didn’t exist, at least not anywhere in this country…”

Her eyes wandered back to the bulletin board. “I guess it was just… trying to help,” she murmured. Even if this was a different Mew than the one she knew, it still fit.
 
Leaf slipped away from the arguing, searching adventurers, back to the others. Looked like the board was all set in the end. "Yeah, I guess," she said, twitching her head in a shrug. "Help with what, though? If the board only started giving out jobs a little while ago, what were people doing before?" They'd definitely bothered the mew enough for one day, more than fair enough, but she really wanted to know what was going on...
 
"Well, the bulletin board has been drawing people from all over," Jade mused, glancing around at all the travelers camped out. "I guess it helps to have all the jobs in one place, and the mystery would help news spread. Not to mention, that kind of psychic power--it'd be helpful for teleporting around and gathering supplies." Although... that just raised the question of why Mew needed outside help filling the requests in the first place.

"Maybe it thought doing it this way would help the economy?" she asked, hoping that it didn't sound super dumb.
 
Corey gave another quiet grunt as he picked himself back up and reconvened with the others. They were discussing the motives this Mew had regarding the bulletin board.

Jade said:
"Maybe it thought doing it this way would help the economy?" she asked, hoping that it didn't sound super dumb.
Click to expand...
"Perhaps..." Corey mused. "But... well, I can only speak with the very limited information I have regarding this topic... but it's generally considered a fool's errand to rationalize a Mew's motives. It may well have decided to carry out all this bulletin board business because it was bored and wanted something fun to do... or maybe it's just one part of a much larger endeavor that we're not yet privy to. Considering a Mew is rumored to have a vast biological capacity that goes well beyond any average Pokemon's capabilities, that likely means it's... quite the task unraveling its thought-process... Who knows, maybe one day the little fellow will reappear and tell us... in which case we'd be very fortunate I'd think."
 
In the distance, adventurers happily announced that despite the halted thief's attempts, the bulletin board was finally updated.

"Hm. Looks like this setback only left him to be a little late," Mhynt remarked, glancing at the others. "Still... I don't think giving this new town a boost to the economy is the true purpose of what this Mew is doing. It seems... beneficial. But I'm skeptical." She crossed her arms. "Maybe later, we can find a way to gain Mew's favor a little more... or figure out what this is all leading to."

But for now... it was time for another simple mission.

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[Ch03] Nova's Boarding Pass (Ft. Mhynt)
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    • Despite needing rest, it was a restless night plagued with the same recurring nightmare for Nova. He shambled his way through work and managed to excuse himself with enough time to get to where the bulletin board was with enough time to spare. At least, Nova hoped he was in time. As best he could tell, the board changed around its things twice. The daytime one wasn't feasible if he was working. But the evening change was a different story.

    So Nova shuffled his way toward the board with the note he'd written. Sure, he probably looked foolish, but the last visit or two had made him fairly confident someone with serious knowledge was watching.

    The null put the message on the bottom right corner, as if to not disturb whatever had been left them from the day.

    There's a painful mask stuck on my head. Please help me get it off.

    All that was left to do was wait.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • "...People don't usually put requests on these personally, you know," someone commented, hidden by the evening twilight. The buzz of adventurers jovially recounting their tales of the day filled the otherwise quiet atmosphere. But where they were, the two were alone.

    Mhynt had a small piece of paper taped to her chest like an apron. It appeared to be the daily "watch over the supplies" mission that she'd been nimble enough to nab first.

    "That mask..." Mhynt frowned, thoughtful. "If I recall correctly... It is a painful but necessary regulator, in my home world. And when the regulator is no longer needed, it is... destroyed. I'm unsure on what qualifies as that regulator being unnecessary, though... But you're different from the other 'pre-Silvally' on our team, hmm.
     
    “Necessary?” Nova’s claws curled in dirt. “No. It was forced on me. To control me. Strip me of my powers. Make me a prisoner in my own body.

    “I can’t fight here. In a world where you’re supposed to show people your heart through battling.” He looked down. “Way back when, I’d order useless units like me to arm themselves for Explosion and just rush an enemy for a sacrificial blow.”
     
    "I see." Mhynt frowned at that, looking pensive. "That doesn't seem like the ideal strategy for you here... And being suppressed and controlled? Just how dangerous were you on your own?" She paced toward his helmet, investigating it a little more closely. "There's usually a switch somewhere around... Mm. No, I can't find it..."
     
    “It wasn’t danger,” Nova whimpered. “I was trying to help people. To free them.” He was doing what he thought was right. “And when I thought I’d succeeded, I lost everything. Every day, I’m waking up reminded of how my fate back home is sealed. Completely controlled by another.”
     
    Mhynt closed her eyes, nodding slowly. "...I'm afraid I can't relate to the same extent," she said, holding up her hand so Nova could see the back of her knuckles. "But I understand what it means to be helpless against a tyrant's power." Little filaments of a strange light, perhaps meaningless, rose from her joints like a marionette's strings. They dissolved moments later. "Somehow I can't shake the feeling I've not truly escaped, even for a reprieve here."
     
    Nova kept his gaze fixed on the board. “That’s not what you said last time. What changed your tune?”
     
    Mhynt closed her eyes. "...Dread," she finally admitted. "As the days turn into weeks I can't stop thinking about it. Sometimes I wake up from... mundane dreams of being back at the castle. Back in those halls again, under a tyrant's rule. Hearing about these 'Shadows' makes it no better. That's the same power that made this tyrant strong. Though, I don't know if they behave the same way here...

    "I was under its control, too. Shadows, I mean. It blots out the spirit. I had to grow a hard mental shell to... keep from eroding completely to it. And now it's here again." She chuckled, noting the sun's position. The board was going to switch soon.

    "Do you think Mew can help you?" she asked.
     
    "I have to think it," Nova said. "What other alternative do I have?" He tried to resist the urge to claw at the helmet. "Whoever runs this clearly has knowledge of the area and the means to--"

    The null stopped. He blinked a few times, looked around, then leaned over. "Excuse me? Mew? Like, 'tiny pink cat thing that transforms at will and may or may not be a bit of a troll' Mew?"
     
    Mhynt blinked. "...We really need to have a team meeting," she murmured. "Then again, Mew didn't want this getting out. But I trust you to keep this quiet."

    Adventurers were starting to mumble to one another as they got closer, excited for the evening payout. Mhynt gave a meaningful nod to Nova -- 'We can talk after this' -- and then stepped back for the exchange.

    "He might have heard our conversation. He might be listening right now," Mhynt hinted to Nova, barely above the crowd's murmuring.
     
    Nova stepped back to let the eager crowd at their earnings. Mew? He existed here. And if he existed here, then...

    "Shadows," he mumbled. "The rangers mentioned that to us, too. But the way you describe it... it sounds more like the Phantoms back home. People whose souls have withered away into nothingness, leaving behind an empty husk inclined toward aggression." The null shook his head. "Only one person back home has shadows: Mewtwo. I gave them to him... to help him heal from all the mental scars. But it came from a crystal he'd been stabbed through the shoulder with. Some... piece of a great dragon of light."
     
    "How interesting," Mhynt replied. "You'd think a crystal from a light dragon would provide Radiance instead." She flicked her hand, making a small facsimile of golden light, but it didn't seem to be the real deal—just a simple aura trick to look the part.

    "Apparently, the team was already attacked by a Shadow Pokemon before, but I didn't get any details. I should touch base with them later."

    The bulletin board flashed with the trickery of a Mew's Teleport. It didn't seem particularly strong, but it seemed well-practiced. Mhynt, with enough effort, could possibly try the same... She doubted it, though. Not without a while of daily practice.

    Nova felt something brush against his flank. There was a small piece of paper stuck to him displaying a scribbled map of the area with basic landmarks. The bulletin board, and then a short walk to the west was a small rocky landmark that looked like a dotted triangle. It was circled.
     
    "Radiance?" Nova glanced at the paper, then transferred it to his bag so no prying eyes got a look. It was about as close to saying discrete as one could get through drawings. "That's literally just the name of a country where I'm from." He shrugged. "Besides, that dragon of light..." Nova tapped his right hind foot against the ground. "I don't know if the phrase 'Renegade Pokémon' means anything to you, but that was his title.

    "We were allies. When I got the mask. He lost his wife and son to the same person who did this to me. Spiraled into an anguish deep enough to drive him to take his own life."
     
    Mhynt shook her head. "Not familiar with that term," she admitted. "Losing one's family, though... I understand that pain enough." She picked up her payment from the bulletin board for keeping an eye on things and approached Nova with her bag full of coins.

    "I also lost my mate and daughter to darkness," she said. "Even if they're recovered now... We've changed too much for it to be the same. We are gone from each other." She sighed. "But enough of that. Let's focus on the future." She made a gesture for Nova to lead the way.
     
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